Every generation who watched TV encountered Winters in some way. He led the second generation of modern American comedic actors, following The Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy. He was known by some as the Hefty garbage man and by others for his recurring bit as Maude Frickert. Like many comedians in his and later generations, he released many comedy albums on LPs. In 1961 Winters first entered the world of sci-fi TV in The Twilight Zone episode “A Game of Pool” with Jack Klugman. He appeared in more than 50 movies and guest starred and starred on many TV shows in his 60 years as an actor, including repeated appearances in every major variety and talk show over the years.
His key role as a dopey but loveable truck driver stuck riding a little girl’s bicycle and the finder of the big “dubya” in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World may be his most memorable role. He was a guest star in The Muppet Show in 1980, a perfect venue for Winters’ zany talent. In the last season of Mork & Mindy, Winters joined Robin Williams’ cast as Mork’s son Mearth. he was a regular on Hee-Haw in the 1980s and voiced the role of Grandpa Smurf in the animated TV series The Smurfs from 1986-1990. In 1994 he played Lamont Cranston’s tough guy uncle opposite Adam Baldwin in the retro-superhero flick The Shadow. In 1999, Winters received the coveted Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
His last role was to co-star in Big Finish, a film in pre-production scheduled for release in late 2014. It was to follow the residents of a show business retirement facility, and also star Tim Conway, Garrett Morris, Jerry Lewis and Bob Newhart. It’s not known whether Winters filmed his part of the movie.
Here are some key scenes from Jonathan Winters in It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World taking on his nemesis played by Phil Silvers:
And here are excerpts from Winters on The Muppet Show:
Finally, Winters as Mork’s son Mearth in Mork & Mindy:
C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com
